The popularity of football appears to be at an all-time high. So much so that intense interest in it goes way beyond the match and match day and we end up with 24/7 coverage. Indeed, I think we are way past saturation point. As pardew's shorts eruditely described it the other day - there seems to be no end of column inches and blogs to be filled daily. Where there is no drama, it shall be created, shaped and embellished by amatuer and professional commentators alike. Whether it be for clicks, reputation or commercial (betting) interest, it doesn't matter everyone gets whipped into a frenzy. This is most acute in the transfer windows (the summer one in particular) where there is little actual football to go on. Despite protestations of the majority that this is all just sky-induced bullshit to stimulate skybet markets and to create thousands of people desperately checking their website and channels for little snippets - most cannot help but get caught up in it. I think that this has undoubtedly fueled much of the hyperbole around our own ttansfer window (and by extension a look over the fence at other clubs'). Despite it not being a particularly brilliant one for us, there has still been some decent business done and, just like the last 4 or 5 years where people seem to lose their minds and make some wildly pessimistic predictions off the back of it - I feel certain that again we'll finish somehwere between 10th and 15th. This won't stop the same circus ******* with everyone's minds in Jan or next summer though. Plus ça change.
Anyway, here is some context to a 5/10 rating that I'd give out window.
Context
Firstly, to take issue with the drama. In years gone by, transfers were very much an adjunct to the football itself. Players would be bought, sold and loaned all the way through until March where a temporary close to the end of season would soon pass and it was business as usual. This meant that teams did not have to try and plan for 4-6 months at a time and consider every contigency. Lose 2 fullbacks to longer term injuries? Well buy or loan one when that happens. Now, unless every contingency is planned for each July/August or Jan, the club is accused of 'negligence' and being a 'shambles'. Hyperbolic nonsense. Of coursr whilst everyone is planning for several contingencies like this itnis easy to take your eye off of the mounting wage bill. A decent PL squad player will earn £60k / week upwards!. What about when everyone is fit? You have other headaches then. Trying to shoe-horn all this intona short window is madness BUT it creates drama. It is part of the product. Now, unless a team adds 5, 6, 7 + new faces and largely replace their starting XI they are 'going backwards' and/or 'showing no ambition'. A tired cliche but one that gets trotted out nontheless. It was always a case that over the summer there might be 2 or 3 signings. Now that is seen as 'pathetic'. Whatever happened to shaping a team?
Our signings, our squad and Roy
The headlines for everyone right now is that we did not sign a RB or a ST. I can see that and do share that sense of frustration. However, I think that both areas do have cover of sorts. Firstly, at RB we have Ward, Kelly and Tomkins who can all play there. Ideally we would have gone in for an AWB replacement but I do not think it an absolute necessity that so many seem to. We have managed with the AWB money to turn serious profit on a player to balance the accounts. Seems sensible enough to me. It also appears we had 3 or 4 RB targets who, for one reason or another, did not sign. If that is the case - so be it. We can get by with Ward and Kelly until Jan. There is no use signing anyone for the sake of it. That is how you **** yourself for future transfers.
ST. We have been needing to freshen up something here for some time. That said, we seemingly have a fit Benteke who is impressing on the training ground more than he has in some time with 2 pre-season goals to his name. It is a big question mark over him but he is still a big earner who we need to put trust in to make his significant outlay worth it. With Wickham also fit for an extneded period now he offers competition. Ayew and Zaha (I'll get to him later) make up thr final options up top. I dare say had Wilf been sold then we would have made a signing or 2 in thks area.
Of the ones who came in, Ayew comes in as a good squad option. Cahill looks like he could be a very good addition, McCarthy can hopefully add options to the middle and Camarasa can operate in the #10 role or out wide. He could be the creative spark we have missed. All these in for minimal capital outlay looks like shrewd business to me even if not marquee-esque headline-grabbing transfers.
I cannot quite get my head around people saying our team / squad is seriously imbalanced. We have:
GK
Guaita
Henno
Henderson
RB options
Ward
Kelly
Tomkins
LB options
PvA
Schlupp
Mitchell
CB options
Sakho
Tomkins
Cahill
Dann
Kelly
Kouyate
Woods
CM options
Luka
McArthur
McArthy
Koutaye
Meyer
Camarasa
Dreher
Wide options
Andros
Schlupp
Meyer
Camarasa
Zaha
Ayew
ST options
Benteke
Wickham
Zaha
Ayew
I don't think that is too shabby at all. Especially as Roy likes to play compact and narrow. In that context the incomings seem logical and would explain why Roy appears quite sanguine (even happy) about our transfer business.
One thing I will say, though, is that it seems very odd that we did not use our 2 domestic loan slots!?
Expectations
To return to the earlier point about the window and the drama it creates - expectations are often quite wild and i consistent. On one hand you have calls for ambition (which at best guess is forking out for proven players as good as guranteed to improve the team). The problem is they are so sought after only the top clubs get them in their absolute prime. So, I hear you say, sign hot prospects with potential. Very well, except these are not proven players and you pay an absolute premium for that potential that may not materialise. It may well be a risk worth taking but a risk it is nonetheless. Alternatively, you go for proven perhaps just the wrong side of thier prime. Perhaps less risky (as our 7 PL years may testify) but you then have the concern / whinge about high contracts and little sell on value. Each club has their strategy. Each has pros and cons but the problem is that many fans expectations (fueled by the media) are generally a bit unreasonable and whatever the club does, they'll draw heavy criticism from one quarter or another.
To add to this, our window shutting earlier than the rest of Europe + the changed TV rights packages across various leagues means the PL does not have the same level of advantage that it once did. We cannot necessarily blow others out of the water with the wages or transfer fees. No wonder players wait to see what offers come in elsewhere. The wage package is likely to be similar. We do not have the advantage of being a team challenging for silverware to tempt some better players across. Tougher market.
Which brings me to the money. I think it is being made out by many that we are skint. I suppose that depends on your definition but we are not so hamstrung by FFP anymore so much as we are not wanting to reall keep running at a loss. SP has always been clear on this. The fact other clubs are not so worried about that is not for us to concern ourselves with. AWB money wipes out the operating loss for last years accounts. To me that is more important than finding a new RB to satiate the here and now. Living within our means over a 2-3 year cycle has to be the main priority.
Dougie & the board
A lot has been said by a lot of ppl who know little to nothing of the exact dynamics. What seems clear since DF came in is that by and large we have spent little each window. Looking for freebies and structured deals. This is likely not a coincidence. I imagine his brief is to secure the best players possible for as little outlay as possible and on that front I think he has done OK in what must be a very tough market. The prices right now are insane. I also suspect that we now have several sets of eyes onneach potential deal. I suspect this can and does cause hesitation as there'll be several opinions. I am sure we miss out on some targets because of this but I also hope that means each deal gets closer analysis and we should see less **** ups than success stories.
Wilf
Finally, Wilf. Many word have been said on this and I stand by
all I said on it yesterday. However, he remains and we have ti see how the next few months go.
Firstly, cash generatee from his sale + wage release woyld have seen us make a big signing or 2. Of that I am sure. I also think we were not expecting AWB to go this summer and so we somewhat priced Zaha out of a move as we could not lose both at the same time.
A lot depends on if he gets his head down or not. If he does then we re-evaluate in Jan and he might just get the move he really wants and that his talent deserves. I think he is too competitive to not try for us, but that will be the most interesting thing for us these coming months.
To conclude, I suspect this season will feel familiar. Some cracking performances and results, some good, some indifferent, some poor and some shocking. 10th - 15th finish. Rinse and repeat. What we must all try to do is not live constantly in the quest for instant gratification. Football is not really that way for most fans of most clubs - certainly not Palace!
Anyway, here is some context to a 5/10 rating that I'd give out window.
Context
Firstly, to take issue with the drama. In years gone by, transfers were very much an adjunct to the football itself. Players would be bought, sold and loaned all the way through until March where a temporary close to the end of season would soon pass and it was business as usual. This meant that teams did not have to try and plan for 4-6 months at a time and consider every contigency. Lose 2 fullbacks to longer term injuries? Well buy or loan one when that happens. Now, unless every contingency is planned for each July/August or Jan, the club is accused of 'negligence' and being a 'shambles'. Hyperbolic nonsense. Of coursr whilst everyone is planning for several contingencies like this itnis easy to take your eye off of the mounting wage bill. A decent PL squad player will earn £60k / week upwards!. What about when everyone is fit? You have other headaches then. Trying to shoe-horn all this intona short window is madness BUT it creates drama. It is part of the product. Now, unless a team adds 5, 6, 7 + new faces and largely replace their starting XI they are 'going backwards' and/or 'showing no ambition'. A tired cliche but one that gets trotted out nontheless. It was always a case that over the summer there might be 2 or 3 signings. Now that is seen as 'pathetic'. Whatever happened to shaping a team?
Our signings, our squad and Roy
The headlines for everyone right now is that we did not sign a RB or a ST. I can see that and do share that sense of frustration. However, I think that both areas do have cover of sorts. Firstly, at RB we have Ward, Kelly and Tomkins who can all play there. Ideally we would have gone in for an AWB replacement but I do not think it an absolute necessity that so many seem to. We have managed with the AWB money to turn serious profit on a player to balance the accounts. Seems sensible enough to me. It also appears we had 3 or 4 RB targets who, for one reason or another, did not sign. If that is the case - so be it. We can get by with Ward and Kelly until Jan. There is no use signing anyone for the sake of it. That is how you **** yourself for future transfers.
ST. We have been needing to freshen up something here for some time. That said, we seemingly have a fit Benteke who is impressing on the training ground more than he has in some time with 2 pre-season goals to his name. It is a big question mark over him but he is still a big earner who we need to put trust in to make his significant outlay worth it. With Wickham also fit for an extneded period now he offers competition. Ayew and Zaha (I'll get to him later) make up thr final options up top. I dare say had Wilf been sold then we would have made a signing or 2 in thks area.
Of the ones who came in, Ayew comes in as a good squad option. Cahill looks like he could be a very good addition, McCarthy can hopefully add options to the middle and Camarasa can operate in the #10 role or out wide. He could be the creative spark we have missed. All these in for minimal capital outlay looks like shrewd business to me even if not marquee-esque headline-grabbing transfers.
I cannot quite get my head around people saying our team / squad is seriously imbalanced. We have:
GK
Guaita
Henno
Henderson
RB options
Ward
Kelly
Tomkins
LB options
PvA
Schlupp
Mitchell
CB options
Sakho
Tomkins
Cahill
Dann
Kelly
Kouyate
Woods
CM options
Luka
McArthur
McArthy
Koutaye
Meyer
Camarasa
Dreher
Wide options
Andros
Schlupp
Meyer
Camarasa
Zaha
Ayew
ST options
Benteke
Wickham
Zaha
Ayew
I don't think that is too shabby at all. Especially as Roy likes to play compact and narrow. In that context the incomings seem logical and would explain why Roy appears quite sanguine (even happy) about our transfer business.
One thing I will say, though, is that it seems very odd that we did not use our 2 domestic loan slots!?
Expectations
To return to the earlier point about the window and the drama it creates - expectations are often quite wild and i consistent. On one hand you have calls for ambition (which at best guess is forking out for proven players as good as guranteed to improve the team). The problem is they are so sought after only the top clubs get them in their absolute prime. So, I hear you say, sign hot prospects with potential. Very well, except these are not proven players and you pay an absolute premium for that potential that may not materialise. It may well be a risk worth taking but a risk it is nonetheless. Alternatively, you go for proven perhaps just the wrong side of thier prime. Perhaps less risky (as our 7 PL years may testify) but you then have the concern / whinge about high contracts and little sell on value. Each club has their strategy. Each has pros and cons but the problem is that many fans expectations (fueled by the media) are generally a bit unreasonable and whatever the club does, they'll draw heavy criticism from one quarter or another.
To add to this, our window shutting earlier than the rest of Europe + the changed TV rights packages across various leagues means the PL does not have the same level of advantage that it once did. We cannot necessarily blow others out of the water with the wages or transfer fees. No wonder players wait to see what offers come in elsewhere. The wage package is likely to be similar. We do not have the advantage of being a team challenging for silverware to tempt some better players across. Tougher market.
Which brings me to the money. I think it is being made out by many that we are skint. I suppose that depends on your definition but we are not so hamstrung by FFP anymore so much as we are not wanting to reall keep running at a loss. SP has always been clear on this. The fact other clubs are not so worried about that is not for us to concern ourselves with. AWB money wipes out the operating loss for last years accounts. To me that is more important than finding a new RB to satiate the here and now. Living within our means over a 2-3 year cycle has to be the main priority.
Dougie & the board
A lot has been said by a lot of ppl who know little to nothing of the exact dynamics. What seems clear since DF came in is that by and large we have spent little each window. Looking for freebies and structured deals. This is likely not a coincidence. I imagine his brief is to secure the best players possible for as little outlay as possible and on that front I think he has done OK in what must be a very tough market. The prices right now are insane. I also suspect that we now have several sets of eyes onneach potential deal. I suspect this can and does cause hesitation as there'll be several opinions. I am sure we miss out on some targets because of this but I also hope that means each deal gets closer analysis and we should see less **** ups than success stories.
Wilf
Finally, Wilf. Many word have been said on this and I stand by
all I said on it yesterday. However, he remains and we have ti see how the next few months go.
Firstly, cash generatee from his sale + wage release woyld have seen us make a big signing or 2. Of that I am sure. I also think we were not expecting AWB to go this summer and so we somewhat priced Zaha out of a move as we could not lose both at the same time.
A lot depends on if he gets his head down or not. If he does then we re-evaluate in Jan and he might just get the move he really wants and that his talent deserves. I think he is too competitive to not try for us, but that will be the most interesting thing for us these coming months.
To conclude, I suspect this season will feel familiar. Some cracking performances and results, some good, some indifferent, some poor and some shocking. 10th - 15th finish. Rinse and repeat. What we must all try to do is not live constantly in the quest for instant gratification. Football is not really that way for most fans of most clubs - certainly not Palace!
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